Dogging, Elementals, and Twins
by troublesfriend
Summary: Sian(pronounced Shawn) is a new chick at Hogwarts, and daughter of a famous broom maker, who's to say some of thet talent hasn't rubbed off on her? And don't forget, Voldemort is after her for a mysterious reason.
1. Sian is back in town!

Sian laughed as she looked down from her tower into the overgrown hedge garden behind her house. There were six guys chasing each other on broomsticks. Sian gave a small cheer and bounded down the spiral staircase and grabbed her broom at the bottom. She jogged out to the entrance of the maze. Having memorized the pathway to the center of the garden from previous excursions Sian hopped on her broom and zoomed dangerously fast around every corner. Right before she turned the last corner a whistle sounded and she slowed down, cautious. Sian hopped off her broom and tiptoed across the mossy underfoot to the center of the maze. "Aha!" A boy with a thick Irish accent yelled and jumped at Sian. She fought off two redheads she presumed to be twins while a third redhead and three other guys watched.  
  
"Oy!" A sandy-haired boy exclaimed. The twins looked up and Sian dove out form between them. "Sorry 'bout that Miss."  
  
"No prob," Sian told him her eyes glinting icy blue in laughter.  
  
The sandy-haired boy blinked nervously, weren't her eyes grey?  
  
"Sorry," the twins apologized eyeing her broom, "can't let the muggles tell on us y'know?"  
  
Sian grinned, "Jus' don't let it happen again."  
  
"Sure thing----" One replied trailing off.  
  
"Sian MacDonal, owner of this bit o' land you lads are playin' on." Sian's accent was harsh, cold, and richly Irish.  
  
A twin sporting a split and puffing lip attempted a grin; "I'm George Weasley."  
  
"Fred," his twin extended a hand with his eyes twinkling even though he was developing a black eye.  
  
Sian however had the combined of these two injuries and many more bruises on her body and was sure the twins did as well. "So Seamus-how long's it been?"  
  
"Five years?" The tall sandy-haired boy guessed.  
  
"Are you goin' ta introduce me?" Sian asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah-this is Ron--" He motioned to a younger-looking Weasley, "and Dean," a dark-skinned boy nodded in acknowledgment, "and Lee," the remaining blonde boy grinned.  
  
"Lemme guess, it's your birthday?"  
  
"Yah," he grinned.  
  
"What're you---fifteen?"  
  
"Damn---for someone who never keeps in touch---"  
  
"Hey, I told you I been busy---"  
  
"Too busy to Owl---"  
  
"Owl-hell-in America we Dog people."  
  
"Dog?" George asked.  
  
"Dog. Instead of an owl that flies everywhere and looks out of place in America-flying in the daytime and such, we've got dogs that Apparate and Disapparate, so when they wander around they look a lot like strays. Like Rowan---Rowan!" Sian called.  
  
Suddenly an Irish Setter appeared at her side, all six guys jumped.  
  
"This is Rowan."  
  
Rowan barked in reply.  
  
"Rowan?" Sian's mother called and Rowan leapt in the direction of the house- -only to disappear---mid-leap. "Sian? Can you come here for a minute?"  
  
"Yeah!" Sian yelled hopping on her broom and zooming away.  
  
"Well she was cool," George told his friends.  
  
"How come you never told us about her?" Lee demanded of Seamus.  
  
"Yeah," Ron added.  
  
"Guys, it's been over five years---five years and we've hardly spoken. Besides she was a clingy tomboy, I-like-to-beat-up-guys-for-the-halibut kind of girl. Real grimy little troublemaker."  
  
"Well she sure as hell isn't one now," Fred commented.  
  
"No-she's pretty hot-who would've thought---"Seamus agreed.  
  
"Definitely not me," Dean told his friend.  
  
Seamus grinned, "We'd better pack it in, looks like rain."  
  
"Sure," agreed Ron. 


	2. Tea with Finnigan

Sian's mother had only needed help on an address, so she hurried back out as fast as she could. Sian still couldn't believe how hot Seamus had gotten over their years apart. In her Element hat and skateboarding attire she sat on her broomstick in the now vacated center of the garden. The drops came down a few at a time and she played alone with the pitter-patter of rain as her company sprinting dangerously fast form one end of the garden to the other on her outdated Cleansweep Seven. Eventually Rowan joined her and she beat him, except when he Apparated at the opposite end.  
  
Sian didn't run into Seamus in the end of July or in the beginning of August. One morning Owl Post delivered her four letters. One was from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The other three were from friends. The first that she tore open was from Hazel Bastow in good old West Yorkshire. Another was from Alicia Spinnet in Leeds, England. The last one however was from a particular Seamus Finnigan. Hazel chatted about the last five years and suggested that they get together August 31st at Diagon Alley. Alicia did the same. Seamus had written a completely different letter.  
  
Hey Sian, How's it goin? It's been awhile hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't written, but with school and all---y'know---At school, Hogwarts, I ran into Harry Potter, the Harry Potter, a great kid let me tell you. Then there's the Weasleys; great guys all of 'em, even Ginny's cool. Don't tell me about your friends, I'll tell you about Alicia, Hazel, and Hagrid. Alicia is graduating next year, and a Chaser for the House team. Hazel's her old self, she hasn't changed much, and she's the back up Seeker and Chaser for the House. Hagrid's still himself as well. Mum invited him for tea tomorrow. Maybe you and your mum will stop by? See you soon, Seamus Finnigan  
  
Sian couldn't help but grin. "Mum?" She called.  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Finnigans asked us to join them for tea tomorrow, can we go?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Awesome," Sian wrote a reply on the back of his parchment and sent it with his waiting owl. Then she opened the Hogwarts letter.  
  
Dear Ms. MacDonal, Please note that the school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ at eleven o' clock. As a fifth year you are allowed to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission slip to your parent or guardian to sign. Also, a list of books for the upcoming year is enclosed. Due to the annual dance this year you are required to bring a dress or dance robe. Yours sincerely, Professor McGonagall Deputy Headmistress  
  
"Hmm," she thought aloud, "Mum?" she called again.  
  
"Yes?" Came the exasperated reply.  
  
"Um, can we go school shopping the 31st?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Sian got up and found her mom in the kitchen. "Well the term starts on the first-and Alicia and Hazel invited me to go shopping with them then. We could stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Please?"  
  
Sian's mother grinned, "Sure."  
  
The next morning the girls busied themselves with the cleaning of the house, it was the first time they had thoroughly cleaned every room since they had moved in. At noon the MacDonals walked to the Finnigans. Mrs. Finnigan, Seamus, and a tall giant-like man decked in a long black beard and friendly beady black eyes waited for them. "Hagrid!" Mrs. MacDonal exclaimed when she saw the man. He got up and they embraced.  
  
"This is Sian," she motioned to the blonde haired, blue eyed girl that looked almost exactly like her.  
  
"Startin' this year at Hogwarts?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Sian admitted.  
  
"What year?"  
  
"Fifth."  
  
"Ah, here ya go then." Hagrid handed her a dark green book. She read the gold lettering on the cover The Monster Book of Monsters. Sian grabbed the book by its spine as it bit savagely at Hagrid's hand. He watched curiously at Sian's reaction. She rubbed the dust off the spine and the book shuddered and lay at rest in her hands. Seamus was wide-eyed in astonishment and Hagrid laughed, "Knew you could do it, any kid of Donal's could do it."  
  
"Wicked!" Seamus yelled, "Hagrid had to show us all how to open them on our first lesson."  
  
"I think it's pretty cute," Sian smiled.  
  
"Hagrid, you're a teacher?" Mrs. MacDonal asked.  
  
Hagrid puffed out his chest importantly, "Sure am Sinead."  
  
"Great job," she congratulated him and they embraced again. As tea was served the talk turned serious.  
  
"You hear about Sirius?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Yes," Sinead replied, "Is it true that Voldemort is back?"  
  
Everyone shuddered at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "Yes," Seamus replied, "Harry saw him."  
  
"Harry---Harry Potter?" Sian asked.  
  
"That'd be the one," Hagrid replied. "So---he---won the Triwizard Tournament with Cedric, bless his soul, and took the cup and got transported to some place where Voldemort and his servant were waiting.  
  
"They brought him back to power-and Sirius wasn't in on any of this?" Sinead asked.  
  
"Well," Hagrid shot a dark look at Mrs. Finnigan, "some people still think that he was involved, but Harry swears it was Peter Pettigrew."  
  
"Wouldn't doubt it," Sinead added, "he was always following those he thought would go the farthest."  
  
"Yah," Hagrid agreed. The room was silent as they sipped their tea. The Finnigans walked the MacDonals to their backdoor and waited for Hagrid to Disapparate.  
  
"That was fun." Sian told her mom.  
  
"Yeah," she agreed, to the Finnigans she said, "we'll have to do it again sometime."  
  
They nodded in agreement and the MacDonals walked home. August 31st came too slow for Sian who spent her days catching up on Harry Potter. Harry's original fame came from vanquishing the Dark Lord Voldemort. He had been just a baby and turned Voldemort's spell on himself. Voldemort hadn't really died, but fled until he could regain his strength. In Harry's first year the school was hiding the Philosopher's Stone, a stone that allowed a person to live forever, or cur a deathly ill one, like Voldemort. So Voldemort had used the body of one of his followers who became a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, go figure, right? Harry stopped him with the help of his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In Harry's second year the school was being ravaged by a basilisk that had been awakened by Ginny Weasley when she used a diary that Lucius Malfoy had intentionally given her, only Ginny didn't know it. Of course the diary had once belonged to Voldemort and Harry defeated it. In Harry's third year Sirius Black, a man thought to have killed Peter Pettigrew escaped from Azkaban, the wizard prison. The Minister of Magic had sent dementors life-sucking fiend to guard Harry because they thought that Sirius had a grudge against Harry because he had destroyed Voldemort and Sirius was supposedly his second-in- command. Sirius, it turned out was after Scabbers, Ron's pet rat who was really Peter Pettigrew as an Animagus, a person who could turn into animals. So Sirius told Harry that he hadn't really killed Harry's parents it was Peter so all was good, except on their way back to the castle to tell Dumbledore, Hogwarts' headmaster the real deal Peter got away. Snape, the evil potions teacher who had a grudge against Black and their new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, a werewolf, and old friend of Black's and Potter's interrupted and the dementors almost killed Harry. They helped Black get away and all was well again. In their fourth year they held the Triwizard Tournament an event where the three famous wizarding schools get together and compete against each other. The game is rigged and two people are picked for Hogwarts, Cedric and Harry. The game gets on well except in the last event where they had to travel through a maze to find the cup. Everything went haywire and Cedric and Harry both ended up at the end. They got transported to some small town where Voldemort was waiting, Cedric was killed and Voldemort was brought back to power, only the Minister of Magic didn't believe neither Harry nor Dumbledore, so Harry was in grave danger. The school year sounded great already. 


	3. Sian meets up with an old friend

Finally the long awaited day arrived. Early in the morning, trunk packed and handy Sian threw the Floo Powder into the fireplace. She stood in the green flames and shouted, "Leaky Cauldron." She felt the wind rush past her and minutes later she arrived in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. Floo Powder was the only legal way for under age wizards like herself to travel in.  
  
"Ah, customers," said the innkeeper, "I'm Tom, the owner."  
  
"Hold on sir," Sian told him, "my mum's comin'." She stepped out of the fireplace and her mother Apparated by the bar.  
  
"Ah, Tom," Sinead said, "One room for tonight and the morning?"  
  
"Sure thing," Tom replied reaching behind the bar, "Room 16."  
  
"Alright, thanks." Sian followed her mother up the stairs. She denied every bit of Tom's assistance on helping her carry the trunk. "I pack light," she told the persistent man. It was true; she never dropped the trunk, or threatened to drop it even once. There was never any straining or struggling muscles, which was reasonable, she had spent the last five years on a farm, it was only reasonable that she had muscle. Sian left the trunk at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Have fun," Sinead told her daughter handing her a satchel of twenty golden Galleons, "don't spend it all. That is all you are getting, and don't forget---no broom buying."  
  
Sian grinned rather innocently and left, her CD player in hand. She walked out onto Diagon Alley and looked for the stores she needed to go to. She stopped at Madame Malkin's Robe Shop to get fitted for robes. Sian grumbled the whole time about how in America they wore muggle clothes to school, to the blonde haired boy next to her. He was purely English, not to mention the stuck-up type. He was rather hot, and she attempted to avoid him. Madame Malkin had her robes done in no time and she cruised the store while she waited. The boy however was incredibly persistent and tried to make conversation all the while. Sian finally had a brilliant idea and listened to her loud Irish Techno and no longer had to put up with the boy's endless attempts to make conversation.  
  
With her robes Sian traveled to the Magical Menagerie. She searched high and low to look for an animal that vaguely reminded her of Rowan so she wouldn't get homesick too much. Sian almost didn't see him, she was so lost in both her thoughts and her music. A scrawny roan colored horned owl peeped and hooted every now and then. As the songs on her CD player changed she heard him make a noise and turned in the direction she thought she had heard him. A rather large cage on a top shelf covered in empty cages held the owl she wanted. Sian ran to the witch at the counter. "I want the owl on the top shelf!" Sian yelled over her music.  
  
The witch looked at her then to the owl, then back to her, disbelieving. "He's not too healthy, and not very old."  
  
"It's alright," Sian told the witch, "I'm excellent with animals, they love me, just let me have him."  
  
"Alright," agreed the witch after a long moment of thought, "one galleon."  
  
As Sian walked with her new owl out the door she immediately decided on a name, Rory, it meant "red king" in Gaelic. She walked back to the Leaky Cauldron and dropped off the stuff in her room. Back at the bar she ran into Hazel and Alicia. They laughed and talked about old times and stuff they had done since Sian had left. The instant they had talked themselves out Alicia got right to the point. "Sian, the truth is---we need a Keeper, for Quidditch."  
  
"Guys! I hardly know how to play the game, much less a position." Sian cried.  
  
"Yeah, we realize that," Hazel told her friend, "every year we hold a preseason, to get the kids with potential a chance to learn and play good. Except, we've never had a Keeper that matched up to Oliver-and we need one."  
  
"So you are going to make me your Keeper, even if I suck?" Sian asked puzzled.  
  
"No-you're good. Remember those years we'd play football together? You absolutely kicked butt." Hazel argued.  
  
"Yeah, only I was on two flat feet," Sian told her.  
  
They walked to the bookstore arguing the whole time. She bought all her books and walked back still arguing. They only stopped once to admire the Firebolt still in the window of the broom shop. Sian tore her eyes away and kept walking, she wouldn't buy a broom, she wouldn't buy a broom? They walked back silent, for the first time. In the Leaky Cauldron, the Weasleys and some other people waited for them. George introduced them. There was his tall and lanky younger brother, Ron that she already knew, Ginny, their younger sister, who looked just like the rest of the Weasleys, tall, blazing orange hair, and freckles. A rather scrawny but growing kid with unkempt, jet black hair and blazing green eyes turned out to Harry Potter, and a girl with puffy, mousy brown hair, and otherwise pretty face turned out to be Hermione Granger. "Well I'm Sian and I need to go for a sec, I'll be back in fifteen or so minutes." Her audience watched in wondered as her once icy blue eyes turned to a mossy green while they were being introduced and then to a purplish color when she needed to go. Her new friends made conversation and dismissed her soon enough. Sian ran to her room where her mother was waiting.  
  
"Yeah, I was thinking that you might want your brooms, for Quidditch reasons, you know," her mother implied.  
  
"That'd kick some serious butt," Sian cried oh so happy, and her eyes turned their normal icy blue.  
  
"You could use a summoning charm maybe?"  
  
"Um, well only two of those have been tested."  
  
"So what are you saying?"  
  
"I don't know, they might not do what you want them to? But they are also in oh-Ireland. Let's just go."  
  
"Okay, but you are going I don't want to have to step in that room of yours I might get swallowed up by the invisible floor."  
  
"Okay." Sian grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the flames. When they turned green she stood in the flames and yelled, "MacDonal Castle!" She whooshed for minutes on end and arrived in the living room. Sian ran up the stairs and into her room. She retrieved the four brooms that her mother was waiting for, with them in hand, her mother Disapparated. As she walked down the long corridors she remembered why she had loved the American house more; it didn't seem as lonely, cold, and desolate. Hurriedly she made her way back to the fireplace, except there was no Floo Powder to be found. There had been some before, she told herself. Just as she was about to look for reserves a moving shadow caught her eye. She pretended not to notice. When she searched all the rooms on the ground floor with no avail she decided to go upstairs because it seemed the only logical thing to do. In her room she knew she always kept some handy and waded through the mass of new things to her bed.  
  
Under her bed was a vial she reminded herself and dove under the bed just in time to see her stalker enter. To her bad misjudgment it was not who she thought it was. Since he only stayed at the door she made her way to him under the cover of boxes. Sian jumped behind him and threw him in a headlock. "Ha, ha," she laughed. The stalker had no time to react. 


	4. The broom talk and meeting harry potter ...

"Okay, this is odd," she heard her victim struggle to say. "You mum sent me back here to make sure you were okay, you took awhile to get back."

"That would be because the Floo Powder was missing. I had to go find some." She told him and released her death-grip on his neck.

He rubbed his neck, wincing slightly, "Remind me never to get into a fight with you," the tall, burly seventh year laughed hoarsely.

They walked down the steps back to the original fireplace. The pot of Floo Powder had been replaced.

"That was odd," Sian admitted. "So which twin are you?" She asked keeping the vial handy.

"George."

"Now is there a difference that I will be able to tell later on?"

"I'm the nice one? Or maybe the better looking?"

"How 'bout the one that doesn't fight back?"

"No, we both do that."

"Hmm, do you maybe look different?"

"I'm taller, older, Fred has more freckles."

"I can remember that."

"You had better, we switch around a lot."

"Okay."

The two people traveled back to the Leaky Cauldron. George went immediately in the opposite direction that Sian was headed. At the table where she had left her friends she found them all patiently waiting.

"I'll be right back," she told them, her eyes a grey-blue. She was still flustered about the Floo Powder. They waved her on and she ran up to her room where her mom was waiting.

"Wow, her eyes are wicked cool, I wonder how she does that," Harry commented when Sian had left.

"I read somewhere that you could have your eyes reflect how you are feeling, like a mood ring," Hermione told the table matter-of-factly.

"That's not it exactly," Hazel grinned.

"Yeah, if you really want to know you have to ask her when she gets back we aren't at liberty to say," Alicia added.

Sian met her mother in her room.

"So what are these?" Her mother motioned to the brooms.

"This is the Cygnus 2000, the first broom Dad gave me."

"And is it tested?"

"Yeah, powerful brakes, turns nice, reaches speeds of over 100 mph." "And this?"

"The Lupus Racer, got it for Christmas, second broom."

"Tested?"

"Goes about 200mph, but you don't want any one to hit you."

Her mother smiled grimly, "The other two?"

"The Corvus Speed Demon-hasn't been tested. And the Columba Angel-hasn't been tested either."

"You test them before you use them."

"Mum!"

"I know you will, but don't forget."

Sian went back to the table where her friends were and Alicia told her about their questions.

"So how do your eyes change color like that?" Hermione asked, positive her answer was right.

"Really? I don't know, I developed the color changing as I grew up, a more expansive color variety for the moods I develop." Sian told her audience.

"What colors do they turn depending on the mood?" Ron asked.

"That'd ruin all the fun," Sian laughed.

"Do they turn outrageous colors like orange and red and stuff?" Fred wondered aloud.

"Only on Halloween," She told him.

Fred didn't believe her.

She had dinner with her friends while their parents chatted. After their meal Sian went to bed, and dreamed.

Wormtail sulked back to his master, the tall and ultimately scary, Lord

Voldemort.

"So?" Voldemort attempted a growling voice. He succeeded in a high pitched growl, not what he had hoped but it was menacing all the same.

"Master, you are still very weak," Wormtail squeaked afraid of this man. "You did not get her?"

"She was surrounded by friends, we would have been found out." "Friends?" Voldemort asked, suddenly interested.

"Harry Potter, the Weasley boys and girl, Hermione Granger, Alicia Spinnet, and Hazel Bastow."

"Hmmm," Voldemort thought aloud a plan was already forming. I will have her though."

The next morning Sian, already packed, woke up late and went for breakfast. Dressed in her normal carpenter pants and skateboarding t-shirt, she descended the staircase. Her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face shadowed by her favorite skateboarding hat she ate her blueberry pancake breakfast.

Alicia, Hazel, and the twins soon joined her. After going over basic stuff Sian was warned to stay away from Slytherin, and more importantly, Draco Malfoy. Draco, she was informed as Hazel crawled in beside her in the cab they were taking to the train station, was a snobby, stuck-up boy with a very large ego.

"How tall is he?" She asked George as he crawled in beside Hazel.

"About six foot?" George guessed.

"Nice," she commented.

"Why?" He questioned curiously.

"If he's taller than her and she totals him; it makes him look like more of a loser," Hazel told him.

The six foot, four inch Weasley sulked in his seat.

"What's that for?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing," they chorused instantaneously.

Alicia and Fred took the cab after them. Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione squeezed into another cab, followed by the Weasley's parents and Sinead, Sian's mom, in the last cab. At King's Cross the wizard group made their way to Platform 9 3/4.

"Where is it?" Sian asked her mother.

"Right here," her mother replied.

"Mum, that's the stone barrier between Platforms 9 and 10."

"I know Sian, watch."

Sian watched Fred and George casually lean up against the barrier with their trunks-and disappear.

Ron and Harry took the barrier at a run while the rest of the people casually walked into it.

Soon, Sian and Hazel were the only ones left.

They leaned up against the barrier and felt the weirdest falling sensation, like when you feel like you are about to fall, but you are standing on solid ground, and landed right-side-up below a sign reading Platform 9 3/4.

The girls hi-fived and made sure their stuff was loaded onto the train, the Hogwarts Express. Only then did they board, after hugging Sinead good-bye. They met up with Alicia who led them into a predominately Gryffindor train car. Sian made herself comfortable and pulled out her book _Building Brooms and What Works Best_.

Hazel sat down next to her and Alicia sat across from them. Just as the train was about to pull out of the station a tapping on the window got the girls' attention. A large Barn Owl was trying to get in.

Hazel opened the window and with a soft thwup the bird landed in Sian's lap. She laughed and looked down, the letter was from Hogwarts.

_Dear Ms. MacDonal, Because you are starting at Hogwarts later than most students you are required to be Sorted with the first years, please join Hagrid and the other first years when you reach Hogwarts. Thank you, Professor McGonagall P.S. Keep the bird with you please._

Sian's friends looked at her curiously, "I get to be Sorted," she told them, "whatever that is."

"You put on this hat that sings a song telling you the traits of the members in each of the four Houses. You'll be in Gryffindor, I think," Alicia informed her.

"I hope so," Sian commented.

Alicia went to the bathroom and the twins filled in the empty seats across from Sian and Hazel. Both of the girls were listening to CD players.

George, realizing he hadn't disturbed them (that had been their original goal) snatched Sian's book away.

"Hey-"

"You read?"

"Only the good stuff."

"Good stuff, huh?" George used this as an opportunity to look at the cover of the book. "Like brooms?" He asked.

"Just a smidgen," she remarked.

"Do you build them?"

"I own a book on them don't I?"

"Doesn't mean you build them."

"No, but I'm aiming to, just need to get the right equipment."

"What do you have?" Fred asked.

"All of them?" They nodded.

"A Cleansweep Seven, a Cygnus 2000, a Lupus Racer, a Corvus Speed Demon, and a Columba Angel."

"Uh, huh."

"What?"

"Did you say Nimbus 2000?" Hazel asked.

"No, Cygnus, starts with C-ends with a -gnus sound." Sian answered.

"Are those American-made brooms, those last four?" George asked.

"You could say that."

"But you have a Cleansweep?" Fred interrupted.

"Yeah."

"What do you play?" Fred asked.

"Keeper," was Hazel's immediate answer.

"Oh-really-" George thought aloud.

"But a lot of times I use my Lupus, it's wicked fast," Sian told them.

"How fast?" Fred questioned.

"At least 200mph, I clocked it," Sian grinned, they didn't need to know she had built the brooms just yet. "When's Quidditch start for you?"

"End of October," George replied quickly.

"End of October," Sian echoed. That was good, her birthday was October third, and her dad could send her another broom kit and she'd have it made by Quidditch season-hmm this was a good idea, Sian told herself.

Hazel told her that they had to wear robes at school so they went to the baggage car and pulled on a robe. This time the pockets were bigger and her CD player fit inside it.

The twins had vacated Alicia's area and the girls rode in peace to Hogwarts. At school Sian went over to Hagrid with the other first years and they climbed into large rowboats that carried them across a glass-like lake, unmanned.

At the entrance to the school Hagrid turned them over to a tall, older woman with greying hair held in a tight bun who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, she was very strict- looking. She told Sian and the first years the basic procedure for the Sorting and was led into the Dining Hall.

The Sorting Hat, a battered, felling apart hat cheerfully sang its song and Professor McGonagall stood up with a long piece of parchment in her hand and began reading off names. The letters passed slowly, Allen ...Archibald ...Baron ..Carmel ...Donahue ..Fairfield. .. The hat would pause or immediately shout out the House names, either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Sian phased in and out.

They were now at the L's. Lance was in Hufflepuff, Lawrence was in Ravenclaw, Leonard was Slytherin, London was in Gryffindor.

There were a few more and then on to the M's. MacDonal, Sian was the first one up. Slowly, with legs like lead Sian made her way to the stool with the Sorting Hat on top of it. She placed the Hat on her head and waited.

"Hmm," it mumbled, "you've got quite a clash here...Slytherin and Gryffindor, all the traits are the same...hmm...it's Gryffindor you want?"


	5. Finally an americanpretending to be Iris...

The word Gryffindor rumbled through the Dining Hall and rather weak-kneed Sian stepped down from the platform to join her friends at the Gryffindor table. It practically rumbled with applause.

"What did you tell them about me?" Sian asked Hazel above the din.

"Nothing," she replied.

"So your table normally rumbles like this?" Sian asked uncertainly. "Yeah."

"What did you tell them?"

"That you were an awesome Keeper and that we were going to win the House Cup," Fred told her.

Hazel punched Fred and Sian gave Hazel such a blow to her arm she couldn't feel it for the rest of the Sorting.

Draco saw the girl, Sian MacDonal Sorted into Gryffindor. Not the best choice he told himself. The name MacDonal rang a bell, he'd heard that name somewhere before, only he couldn't remember. The girl, Sian, was the girl he had followed around in Madame Malkin's shop when she had been getting her robes. He sighed as the memory recollected in his mind.

She was very tall, about six feet maybe, cloudy grey eyes and beautiful blonde hair, it almost sounded like a description of himself. That was why he knew that he liked her, and he was going to have his way with her, he had that effect on women.

After the feast which didn't prove to be much fun the Gryffindors headed back to their dorm.

"That teacher, Mr. MacAlan, seemed pretty cool, hope he's as good as the last two," Seamus told Dean.

After learning the new password and climbing into the porthole that the fat lady in the pink dress opened to reveal everyone went to bed. Everyone except for Sian. Sian went up the spiral staircase and into the room labeled "Fifth Years, " and entered. There were six four-poster beds all with crimson curtains. Two of the girls she didn't know and they immediately introduced themselves.

A girl, dark-skinned with large brown eyes and dark brown hair greeted her. She was the taller of the two introduced herself, "I'm Parvati."

A shorter, blonde girl beamed up at Sian, "Lavender."

"I'm Sian."

Hermione peered out from her drapes and looked at her rather distastefully.

Hazel, who had a bed next to her laughed, "'Night."

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep, Sian went back down the stairs and pulled up a chair by the fire. It was a large, overstuffed red armchair and was incredibly comfortable. She was staring into the lonely flames when someone next to her coughed. Brought back into reality so quickly she jumped.

The kid saw this and apologized. "I'm BJ Nicholls."

"Sian MacDonal," she grinned, "how do you like it here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you?" BJ countered.

"What do you mean?" Sian asked.

"I've been in Hogwarts for five years already, this is only your first."

Sian laughed looking at her companion for the first time. He had raven black hair and hazel eyes. He seemed nice enough. "Yeah, I meant Ireland, not Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?"

"How long have you been living in Ireland? Is this your sixth year?"

"Um-yeah-how'd you guess?" "Well, I'm from the same part of Ireland you are trying to impersonate, and your accent goes in and out-too strong in some places, not enough in others, you know what I mean?"

"I think so."

"So what part of America are you from?"

"New Jersey."

"I used to live in Vermont, great country up there, you ever been that way?"

"Once or twice, there are too many cows."

"You get used to it after a while." Sian laughed. "What do you miss the most?"

"Well, I was a muggle for my childhood years and was big on soccer and skateboarding."

"You don't say."

"Why not?"

"You and me are going to get along great, as long as you call it football, you're in Scotland now, none of that American talk."

BJ nodded and they chatted avidly about skateboards until both of them fell asleep. The next morning was a Sunday and there were no classes. A rushing and pushing around woke up Sian, but BJ remained fast asleep. Seven people were rummaging around, attempting to find their way out of the room.

"The door is over by the window," she told them groggily.

"Thanks Sian, you want to join us?" Fred asked.

"What are you going to do?"

"Play Quidditch, pre-season starts tomorrow."

"No-I thought the season didn't start for another couple of weeks."

"Those are for the other Houses, we want to win we've got to have the skills."

"Okay." That decided her. Sian left BJ and silently went to her room. She changed into some cargo pants and another t-shirt while struggling to decide on a broom to use. She decided on the Lupus Racer. It was fast. Fast enough to impress even the most uninterested guy, and that is what made things fun. The handcrafted red pine handle warmed under her touch, and the lilac twigs in the tail bristled impatiently. She jogged down the stairs and tip-toed past her sleeping friend. Outside the portrait hole her other friends waited. They made no comment on her casual dress, which was cool, it was Sunday.

Inside the Quidditch Pitch Madame Hooch was waiting. "Have fun," she told them and handed them the box of balls. Fred and George, bats handy let loose the Snitch for Harry and Hazel and took out the Quaffle for the Chasers' use. When they were safe in the air, Fred and George let the Bludgers loose.

Sian had not yet taken off and one Bludger made a beeline toward her before the twins had mounted their brooms. Sian rose sharply in the air and kicked it away from her. It smashed into the ground before chasing after her. Easily, and with agility she swerved out of its path. It turned sharply thinking to catch her off-guard, but she saw its move. Sian swept down and snatched the bat from Fred and smacked the Bludger head on-throwing it into the stands. She dropped the bat and let the Beater have at it. She sped to the goal, just in time to stop the Chasers from scoring. She caught the ball and punted it to midfield.

Hazel, who was practicing her Seeker moves stopped to hi-five her. Through out the practice Sian made amazing saves and was congratulated on almost all of them. The Chasers were incredible. It was when Sian was taking a break, waiting for the Chasers to retrieve a punt to the other end of the field did she notice the blonde haired boy in green Quidditch robes. George stopped a Bludger coming at her head and Sian asked him about the boy. He looked thoroughly puzzled, he didn't know what she was talking about. "Tall blonde kid, green Quidditch robes..."

"Malfoy," George growled.

She laughed, "Malfoy? What kind of name is that?" Then she remembered what George and Hazel had told her about this Malfoy kid. "Hmm," her laughed turned to a grim half a smile. "Let me have that stick, you be Keeper for a couple of minutes."

"Uh-okay." A Bludger picked that instant to come after her. She waited until it was right on her before pelting it at the stands. It shattered the bench next to where the kid was sitting. He jumped almost a good three feet in the air. Sian tossed the bat back to George who was laughing hysterically. She couldn't resist. Her laughter reverberated off the stadium walls and everybody flew over to her, Harry had the Snitch. Malfoy had disappeared, but between bouts of laughter they were able to retell their story and pointed to the pieces of bench. The whole team was soon laughing with them. When they landed, putting all the balls away in their proper places they headed to the locker rooms. George and Sian were still giggling and their sound echoed off the stone.

Waiting at their door, the Slytherins came out to greet them. "Potter," a blonde boy spat.

"Malfoy," Harry replied in even tones.

The boy, Malfoy, Sian recollected was the boy who had followed her in Madame Malkin's Robe Shop. That was Malfoy? Son of the evil Lucius Malfoy?

Her laughter broke the tense silence and Malfoy stiffened at the sound of it. He remembered it. He searched through the crowd and looked for new faces. There were two.

"I haven't met your other team members," Malfoy snarled. "Can you not count? There are only supposed to be seven members."

"Oh-that is why there are eight of us?" Sian asked sarcastically and the twins sniggered. "Hmm-you only have six, so I suppose in this case more is better."

The twins sniggers were joined by an outrageous assortment of snorts and choked laughs.

Malfoy's eyes stared at the only person who wasn't laughing, it was Sian MacDonal, the girl from Diagon Alley. "I don't know your name Miss-" Draco's voice was mellifluously smooth.

Sian snorted at this change in character, her eyes a bright green.

Draco didn't remember her eyes being green.

"Ah-but I know you-you followed me around in Diagon Alley, like a lost puppy, you should make your adoration of people less obvious, it's a real turn-off."

Every Gryffindor present laughed outright.

Sian considered this session done and announced, "after that practice I need a shower, pardon me guys," she stepped forward.

Draco stared in amazement, she was as tall as him. He didn't realize his jaw had fallen open. Luckily no one from Gryffindor could see.

Sian reached and closed his mouth, making him bite his tongue and making his teeth smash together.

"I think you've just been shafted," Hazel commented as Sian walked past him.

"Shut it Mudblood," Malfoy snapped.

Sian turned on her heel and headed back towards Malfoy. Hazel held up her hand to stop her friend. Her other hand dealt Malfoy a blow to his stomach that sent him reeling backwards, into his fellow Slytherins. Sian, Hazel, and Alicia spit on the ground in the direction of Malfoy and sauntered away followed by their team members.

In the Gryffindor locker room Sian used a Summoning Charm to conjure up a towel and a change of clothes. Under the ice-cold water Sian allowed herself time to think. What made her so appealing to Malfoy? She was pretty, not dead sexy like some girls she knew. Was it because he liked being made fun of? That would be weird-Sian put that thought out of her mind. Drying off and putting her towel around her, Sian sidled out of the shower to get the clothes she'd left on the bench. Her hair, now many shades of blonde because it had gotten wet; glistened in the shafts of sunlight, filtering through the windows. She paid no mind to the looks of astonishment on the guys' faces. Getting dressed she still couldn't understand Malfoy's fascination with her, maybe it was just a phase.

Draco was astonished. This girl-he didn't even know-other than the fact that he was in love with her-had just shut him down, in front of his friends. He knew that her friends hated him, he needed to get her to see past all of that. She was beautiful-and that was all that mattered. Taking a shower after an invigorating practice the thought hit him: MacDonal was the new CEO of the American Broom Company.

They manufactured Elementals, incredibly fast brooms, and also gave the British some of their equipment, it was with their help that the Firebolt had been built, and with more help a Firebolt II was being built. Draco hadn't seen her fly, that didn't matter, to him looks were everything personalities were a side show-much like him compared to Sian. He couldn't wait to tell his dad about Sian MacDonal.


	6. Sian is Keeper? And another broom talk

At breakfast two things spread like wildfire across the Dining Hall: Malfoy getting beat up by a girl, and the Gryffindors' new Keeper. The Slytherins laughed when they heard that the Gryffindors' new Keeper was a girl, she wouldn't last the first game of the season at the end of October.

Sian was amazed at how fast she got popular, everything in the Gryffindor House was based around Quidditch, and she was their new Keeper. George told her the story about their old Keeper, Oliver Wood. "He was a bit mad. Based his whole life around Quidditch and completely flipped when we got Harry as our Seeker. We won almost every match after that, Wood was convinced we would win. And we did. He was our captain, then two years back when he graduated, he gave Harry his Captainship. Harry doesn't really lead us and give us speeches like Wood used to," George took this moment to reminisce and laughed, "Fred and I normally do."

Sian laughed, "Can I practice more?"

"Yeah, we'll assemble the troops back at the Common Room and tell them about the tryouts."

After breakfast they headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room. They were met by the portrait of the Fat Lady and told her the password. She swung open to reveal the cozy Common Room that Sian had fallen in love with the night before.

Fred took his place on the stairs and coughed to get everyone's attention. "Excuse me!" He yelled finally. "We, the Gryffindor Quidditch team would like to announce that if you would like to try out, no first years please, then please sign up on the bulletin board by the door. Thank you."

There was a scrambling of bodies and twenty or so kids rushed to the board.

"Your attention again please!" George yelled, "The first practice is tonight at 5:00, we expect you all to be there."

"Whose the Keeper?" Someone yelled.

"You'll just have to be at the practice, won't you?" George laughed.

As the group in the Common Room thinned out Sian made her escape to the girls dorm. All five brooms in her hands she enlisted Hazel, BJ, and Alicia to join her for a game of football. They all agreed and Alicia ran to get her ball. They met on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Alicia looked at Sian oddly, "Why are you carrying all those brooms?"

"Testing," Sian replied.

"Whatever for?"

"So, if my brooms work I can send the plans to my dad and I'll be rich."

"So you made all those?"

"Well, not the Cleansweep, I need something to race them against."

"Why do you need us?" BJ asked overhearing their conversation.

"I promised you a game of football, and these girls love the sport as well, but it does seem odd if one girl leaves with five brooms," Sian pointed out.

"Okay," they all agreed.

They played rounds of two-on-two, switching around as defense and a forward. In the end the game was 2-2.

"Ah, broom-testing, a dangerous, but fun sport," Sian chuckled. "I've got two brooms to test. So give me a sec. I'll test the Corvus first, against the Cleansweep who wants to ride?"

"I've got the Cleansweep," BJ said.

"Alright," Sian mounted her broom. "We just test them for speed, go as fast as you can for as long as you can."

BJ nodded.

They raced, after two seconds the Corvus had dominated the race and maintained its speed. She tried a sharp turn and made it, she flipped dove and managed every trick in the book before she noticed the crowd that had gathered on the front lawn. Hazel then raced her on the Lupus, the fastest broom she had made so far. It outdistanced even that, and she did more tricks at that amazing speed.

She landed and was greeted by twenty or so people from assorted Houses. Sian hated to go public before the season started so she quickly headed inside. Her friends had the equipment she had neglected to pick up and ran to catch up to her. "What was that about?" BJ asked, "What am I missing?"

"Later," Hazel told him.

Safe in the Gryffindor Common Room Sian told BJ the story. "Do you want the juicy version or the edited version?" She asked.

"I want the real deal."

"Where should I start?" Hazel asked Sian.

"I'll start, first off, I'm the only daughter of the MacDonals, Donal and Sinead. Donal was just elected head CEO of the American Broom Company-you know what that is right?"

He nodded.

"We moved to America five years ago because the last CEO wanted to spend time with his family so my dad heard he'd been nominated as the next head cheese so he flew over. He's been working his butt off for the last four years and this year it finally paid off."

"What does that have to do with brooms?" BJ asked.

"I haven't been the basic give-me-dolls little girl. When I was younger I used to hang around Seamus and pick fights like they all did, and it was fun while it lasted. When I heard my dad was getting transferred I was devastated, until he convinced me it would be more fun in America. Really it wasn't, all alone in Vermont with nothing to do. So one day my dad brought me to work with him and I sat watching all the guys hand-pick the twigs for the tail and finely polish the handle and I fell in love. At first he thought it was a phase, my dad, until I got to school and got a job tuning the brooms for the players, and I was really good at it, having watched the people do it so many times.

"So for my birthday in my third year my dad gave me a broom book and some broom-making material. It was great so I made my first broom. I called it the Cygnus 2000, because it was graceful and agile, like the bird I named it after."

"The swan," sighed Alicia.

"What about that fast one Hazel rode?" He asked.

"The Lupus Racer?" Sian asked smiling, "Got that for Christmas two years ago. My dad gave me more of a variety of materials to use and I built a fast, swift-moving, gliding, sharp-turning broom."

"Very cunning," Alicia commented.

"The Wolf Racer," BJ laughed aloud. "What about those other two? That one you tested today?"

"Ah, the Corvus Speed Demon, that is one of my personal favorites. I hadn't used it before today. Using the broom book I specially ordered the products I wanted and got them for my birthday. I built it and admired it, it is beautiful. I had no idea it went that fast, I wanted to try it against a Firebolt, do you know any one who owns one?"

"Uh-Harry does, you can ask him at practice today," Alicia told her.

"What about that other one?" BJ pestered.

"The Columba Angel, I love that one too, built it for Christmas. My dad told me if I thought they were good enough I could sell the plans to him and they could build the brooms, I love them, I just don't want to go commercial, I told him I'd decide when I was sixteen at the soonest. I've still got a month and I've brought too much attention to myself already."

"I like their names," Hazel grinned, "The Swan 2000, the Wolf Racer, the Crow Speed Demon, and the Dove Angel. They're cute."

"I'll test them against Harry tonight, d'you want to use one and see how you match up to him Hazel?" Sian asked her eyes flickering an amused midnight blue.

"Sure," she replied and they headed down to lunch.

Five o' clock sharp there were about thirty members of the Gryffindor House ready to play Quidditch. George sorted them out. Sian had given Hazel the Corvus and took the Lupus for herself. BJ was in the stands watching them with her Columba.

There were five wannabe Keepers that she had to deal with. First she got their names and their broom models. Three of them were sporting Nimbus's, one had a Firebolt, and the last one had a Cleansweep. Sian had them practice defensive blocks and played as a Chaser. She also tested them on their throwing abilities. The kid on the Cleansweep could throw it past half-field, money wasn't everything, she surmised and continued on. It was in fact the kid on the Cleansweep that reminded Sian greatly of herself. The girl's name was Ryan O'Connell and she had stolen her heart away. Ryan was the best, the kid, Drew, who owned the Firebolt also had some real talent, the other kids on the Nimbus's were okay.

After practice while the little kids were showering Sian heard the news, Hazel had caught the Snitch, she had out done Harry and stolen the Snitch. "So is my broom better?" Sian asked her madly cheering friend.

"Hell yes," came the reply.

"Is it faster?" "I beat him in a nose dive and so many fake-outs you would not believe, I no longer have to tail him like Cho does."

"Cho?"

"The Ravenclaw's Seeker."

"A girl?"

"Yep."

"Uh-Harry-"

"Yeah?" Harry whipped around.

"Um-if you don't mind I've got a broom here that I'd like to try out, could I possibly race you?"

"Uh, sure."

"You won't get mad if I win, will you?"

"Not with Hazel's magic broom already beating me, I'll be good, I promise."

They mounted their brooms and took off in an upward spiral. Sian's broom dominated the course through twists, turn, weaves, and an outright stretch.

"That broom's amazing," Harry commented when they were back on the ground.

Sian looked at her Columba and beamed.

"Don't know real talent when you see it Potter?" Came a sneering voice.

"Actually, I was commenting on the satisfaction of the broom Malfoy," Harry replied.

"It's a great broom, what's it called?"

"The Columba Angel," Sian told him.

"Look at that, some no name brand is better than your Firebolt, doesn't life suck Potter?"

"Only because you're in it," Harry grinned pleased with the effect of his comeback. He had finally said the last word. Malfoy opened his mouth to speak.

"Now children," Sian reprimanded.

Malfoy shut his mouth and the Gryffindors walked off the field. The next morning Sian got on her normal clothes and exited the dorm.

"We do have a dress code," Hermione told her snootily.

"Is that what you call it?" Sian replied.

"Yes."

"Oh," Sian threw on a robe and placed her CD player in her pocket and hit the play button. She ignored all Hermione's snooty comments for the rest of the walk and was pleased when both Harry and Ron told her to hush up.

"What is with you guys?" Hermione asked. "I've never seen you two act like this over a girl."

"Act like what?" George asked. "They're falling head-over-heels for that miscreant, Sian."

"They look to be standing right-side-up," George commented.

"Him too!" She cried in bewilderment, "She's not part Veela is she?"

"Nope," said Hazel passing by them.

"Then what is it with her?" Hermione asked finally.

"She's the opposite of you," Ron told her, "you know how hard it is to find someone like that?"

"Someone like what?"

"Someone who doesn't care what you think about them, someone who likes sports, someone who knows what you are talking about when it comes to brooms or Quidditch, and she hardly ever talks about homework and getting it done."

"She probably doesn't do it, which wouldn't surprise me, that's probably why she's here got kicked out of her old school...You should of seen her this morning, didn't even attempt to wear her robe..."


	7. Hermione's jealous, and Sian gets a dete...

"Hermione! Do you not read the paper? Right after school got out MacDonal was elected president of the ABC!" Cried Ron.

"The what?" Hermione asked.

"The American Broom Company," Harry told her, bewildered himself, "that explains a lot."

"What does that have to do with that Irish-blah, and what does that explain?" She asked exasperated.

Ron could only glare, words weren't powerful enough to express what was going through his mind at this very moment. Irish-blah! He didn't want to know what she thought of him.

Harry did find words, "Make the match Herm-MacDonal, MacDonal. It explains why her broom was so much better than mine-she was probably testing it for her dad and she wanted to compare it to the Firebolt."

Sian chose this as a moment to join them.

Hermione stomped off.

"Hey guys."

Ron forced a smile, Sian was awesome, the complete opposite of the brainiac, Hermione, that's what made her cool.

No one noticed Sian's eyes twinkle an angry grey as she watched Hermione storm off. She had always had trouble making girl friends. She didn't know why. Could it have something to do with how she hit it off with guys immediately and other girls had to earn their way into the group gradually. Sian knew how it felt, that was how things had started, wanting to be on the inside. There were only two ways to do that, be pretty, or know something about what guys liked and show it off, like her own ability to make brooms. Some girls just got jealous. She still couldn't resist the curiosity to ask, "What's the dealiyo with her?"

They shrugged their shoulders in response.

"No hard feelings about yesterday right?" She asked Harry.

"Nah, where'd you get that broom?"

"Uh-actually, I made it."

"No way!" Ron interrupted because of his own disbelief.

"Yeah."

"How'd you know how to make it?" He asked.

"My dad. I've watched the guys work-it isn't as hard as you think."

"Is that your first?" Harry still couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No, it's my fourth, Hazel used one yesterday, and I always use the other one. I raced you on one that I had been wanting to test against a decent broom."

"Uh-huh."

"Sian!" Hazel was waiting impatiently for her at the Gryffindor table. "We've got our schedules." Hazel handed her friend a sheet of parchment. Herbology and Astronomy were her first classes. After lunch she had Transfiguration. She smiled rather grimly, tomorrow she had Potions first period. It wasn't sounding too pleasant, from what she had already heard about him, he didn't sound like a very pleasant man. In Herbology, Professor Sprout, a stout little woman covered in dirt, greeted her warmly. They would start the day planting Thorn bushes. Pretty green little bushes with flowers on them everywhere. Underneath the flowers were tangled vines of... "Thorns up to three feet long!" Ron exclaimed reading the caption in his book.

"They only hurt when they poke you," Hazel pointed out.

"But three feet?"

"Look at the size of the plant," Hermione pointed out logically, "the plant itself isn't even three feet long so how can something inside it be that big?"

Ron turned away embarrassed, but Harry laughed.

Astronomy proved to be more fun for Sian because she named her brooms after constellations. Harry and Ron also figured out how she had named her brooms. Sian thought of another name for her new broom, it would be creative she thought as she wrote down the assignments.

Transfiguration was taught by the tall, wiry, strict figure who Sian had met for the Sorting and who was their head of House, Professor McGonagall. She was incredibly strict and gave them the task of turning turtles into dishes. Sian had surprised Hermione because even though she was not a goody-goody, she proved to have a lot more control over her magic, and was the first person to turn her turtle into a bowl. It was green and did have a check pattern, but it did not scurry away from her as it did to Hermione, and it was made of ceramic, and not turtle shell, like Hermione's.

After Transfiguration, Sian plotted time with the twins and BJ to play a game of tag on their brooms. They all wanted to use Sian's. Sian grabbed the Lupus for herself and let the other guys choose. BJ grabbed her Cygnus because it was the safest looking.

"Um-what are these made out of?" George asked.

"The Corvus is made out of ash and willow, it is a better version of the Firebolt. The uh-Columba is faster than that, made of cedar and witch hazel," Sian told them.

"Witch-Hazel?" Fred asked pointing to Hazel who was passing by.

"No, it's an American tree."

"Oh." Fred took the Corvus and George took the even faster Columba.

Out on the Quidditch pitch the kids played tag. George started out as the person who was "IT" and swiftly tagged his brother. Fred tagged a passer-by who turned out to be Ron. Sian paused the game to get a broom for him and he joined them as Hermione looked on, displeased with how well they were all getting along.

Why was it so easy for some people?

Potions, the first class of the day proved to be the most annoying in the world. Not only did it have Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin fifth years, but Professor Snape was the most obnoxious man she had ever met. He started class by taking roll call, as Ron informed her that he normally did. He paused at her name, "Ah, Ms. MacDonal, now we have two celebrities to put up with. Do you, perhaps know more than the famous Harry Potter, or are you just one of those blonde, rich daughters that know nothing about what their father does?" Many Slytherins laughed at this comment, but Sian remained unfeeling, though her eyes flashed an angry grey and she saw Hermione smile, pleased.

"MacDonal, I will give you the same test that I gave Potter when he first joined us, maybe you will prove to be better?" Snape snapped.

"Shoot," she told him. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the questions.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Sian laughed, "Um-Professor, I am new, so I may be in the wrong class, but-that's all first year stuff."

"Your name was on the list wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"So answer the question!"

"Okay," Sian sighed, "it makes a sleeping potion so powerful that it is often called the Draught of Living Death."

"Too easy for you, eh?" the man sneered and many Slytherins laughed.

"No, not at all Professor, only, I learned it-oh-four-five years ago."

"So he taught you well to remember it all?"

"No it just kind of stuck there."

"Uh-huh, where would I find a bezoar?"

Sian laughed again, "Seriously Professor?"

"I asked you didn't I? Or have you forgotten, as I am sure that these other nit-wits have."

"No, not at all Prof, the bezoar is a stone that comes from the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons," she listed off uninterested.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Nothing, they are the same plant, also known as aconite. Are you sure this is fifth year potions Prof?"

"Positive," he snarled.

The class got progressively worse, he called on Sian and asking her advice on a million different subjects that they covered. Luckily, Sian had learned them already, and answered him only partially paying attention. She looked over to the Slytherin side of the room and noticed Draco staring either at her or past her intently, he did look in the opposite direction when she noticed. Why did she have to attract all sorts of guys? Couldn't she just attract the nice ones? As the class departed Snape called to their retreating backs, "Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek MacDonal!"

"That must mean twenty points from Slytherin for Snape being an ass!" Sian commented to Hazel.

"I heard that..." Snape told her.

"How bout you skip the subtraction of points, because you love math so much and just give me a detention!" Sian yelled.

The chattering of the students subsided as they heard this cry of defiance.

"It won't be the first I've given, so don't think you're special by any means!" He retorted.

"So?"

"Tonight, five to seven, and wear something to get dirty in-forget it, you won't have to change anyway."


	8. Snape has a flashback, and Sian and Seam...

The Slytherins laughed as they exited the dungeons, and Hermione wore a smile too broad to be normal. At lunch Sian enlisted the twins for the low-down of what they did at detentions.

"For Snape?" George asked. "It depends on what you do, tell us the whole story."

Sian laughed and recounted the days events.

"Hmm, tonight you say? Fred when is our detention?"

"Tonight."

"Should I cancel practice?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Fred told him.

"So you talked back to him, were sarcastic, and you yelled at him?" George asked making sure that he had heard her right.

"I defied all power he held over the class, yeah." Sian laughed.

"Eck, I have no idea, we've never done all that in one class, what do you think Fred?"

"Hmm, I'd say, he'll ask you to mix up some nasty-ass cleaning concoction, and have you clean all the tables after he's poured something hazardous on them." Fred guessed.

"What did you two do?"

"Uh, we exploded some Filibusters over by the Slytherins' cauldron, you should have seen them run!" Both boys laughed hysterically and Sian soon joined in.

Care of Magical Creatures, she hoped during lunch would be lots of fun. It looked promising until Hazel told her that they normally had it with the Slytherins. Hagrid beamed at the class as they arrived, greeting them all like they were old friends. Hagrid praised Sian more than everyone else for her control over her book.

They learned first about the Jabber knolls. Jabber knolls were small blue-speckled birds that ate small insects and were living in Hagrid's apple trees. They were silent and cute, but the Slytherins found them to be dull and boring.

After dinner Fred, George, and Sian made their way past the loitering Slytherins to the dungeons where their class was held. "Did you hear that the Gryffindors had to cancel their Quidditch practice because three of their players got detentions?" Pansy Parkinson told her group loudly as they passed.

"That's because we're so good we don't need to practice everyday," Fred told them.

"Is that why you start so early in the season?" A short blonde girl asked.

"Yeah, they need the practice, because the Gryffindors have no Keeper," a scrawny kid laughed.

"We have a Keeper," George told them.

"A girl?" The boy laughed again, "Girls aren't Keepers, they're too easy to frighten, they're just a side show to unnerve the guys so they can't score."

"Yeah," another kid with black hair chimed in, "Cuz, the girls in Gryffindor are far and few between, and you'd have to find one with talent and one that would risk her pretty little face to turn down a few guys."

"Actually, it's easier than you think," Sian told them all, and the guys shut up, none of them had realized that the Weasleys' companion was a girl.

"So you have-what looks like a girl-" laughed a seventh year Slytherin, "but can she play? Or is she just there for looks?"

"Wait for the game kid, and you'll see," George told their audience.

"Five points for being late," Snape glared at them all as they entered.

"What would you like us to do?" George asked innocently while his companions struggled to keep a straight face.

"My last class can not clean so you boys will reorganize the ingredients they were incapable of doing. As for you MacDonal" Snape rounded on her, "you can sweep and mop the floor because some of the younger girls failed to listen to my directions and now I have a sticky mess in the back corner. I expect you to clean the whole floor and not just the back corner. Do your womanly duties," he commanded Sian handing her the broom.

Sian glared at him and her narrowed eyes stared past him not believing what she had heard.

Snape smiled seeing that her words had effected her, but was shocked to notice that her eyes turned grey and vaguely remembered a diviner's vision from his previous line of work. When Snape had been working with Voldemort they had a diviner who had predicted Voldemort's loss of powers and he was killed. So they got another one that touched on the subject and informed them that,

_"The child with angry grey eyes will be the cause of your second death, and will fight against you with a fire burning in their eyes. You can control their power to rekindle your own and with watchful, doe-like eyes, they will sadly watch your every move." _

Snape jumped back to his normal composure, but Sian had sensed something- fear? It was blowing past her like a breeze through an open window. Snape had seen something in her that he was scared of, was that good or bad?

Sian took the broom and swept the entire floor, creating a pile of dust, dirt, grime, and cobwebs in the middle of the floor. She then swept that up and dumped it into a wastebin. She pulled out the mop and started mopping. About half-way through her job, three Slytherins traipsed in requiring Snape's help. They took the roundabout way to his desk, completely dirtying her clean floor. So Sian went and asked Snape for a large rag. The three Slytherins and Snape gave her quizzical looks, but she got what she requested. Every time Sian cleaned a part, she would dry it so the floor wouldn't get dirty again. Two more Slytherins joined the original three and they too tried to destroy her cleaning job, only to find that the floor was not only clean, but dry.

The twins congratulated her and continued on. After they had all finished they asked Snape if anymore work needed to be done. There was none so they left, half an hour early.

BJ and Sian snuck down to the broom shed with a football they had stolen from Hazel. They passed it around a few times, before BJ decided he wanted to be the Keeper. While he flew to the other end Sian waited patiently, not seeing the two figures who were about to join in their game. When they reached her level, it was then she heard the wind change, Alicia and Angelina, another Chaser for the House were playing as well.

Two of the girls flew head-on in the direction of the goal, but neither of them had the ball BJ noted. Then, at the goal farthest away from him Angelina dove to score. BJ sped fast in her direction making the broom go as fast as it could, and he caught the ball mid-way.

"Nice," Angelina commented as she went to retrieve the ball from half-field.

The girls flew at him again, this time with Sian in possession, she flew towards the goal BJ was guarding poised to throw, and instead passed it off to Alicia who scored at the goal next to them. The game continued on, and BJ proved to be a very good Keeper. Sian went to bed after commenting that she wouldn't do her homework and caught a glare from Hermione.

It was all too familiar, so she ignored it. The next morning Sian remembered to put on her robe over her normal dress and descended the steps carrying both her CD player and her book bag. She crawled into the seat beside George and yawned.

"Good night?" He asked.

She laughed and hide another yawn, "I'm not a morning person," she told him.

"Right," he replied and poured them both glasses of orange juice.

Sian glanced at her schedule, "Defense Against the Dark Arts? Is the teacher any good?"

"Yeah, he's almost as good as Lupin."

"Lupin?"

"A teacher we had two years ago, he got kicked out because Snape made it public that he was a werewolf," BJ added sitting down.

Sian noticed right off that he had dropped his accent, but the other guys hadn't noticed, yet.

Fred turned to him suddenly, "Wait, what's your name?"

"BJ."

"What year are you?"

"Sixth."

"Are you a Yank?"

"No," Sian pitched in, "he's Irish."

"Where's his accent?" George asked.

"So what if he doesn't have one?" She retorted.

"Don't take it personally," Fred commented.

"How would you feel if someone was putting down your home turf? What would you all say if I didn't have an accent? And I made one up instead would you all notice? No, you're all Northern Irish men, and the lot of you are English. Some places they sound just like Yanks, but they've been living in Ireland their whole lives. What do you say about them?"

"Nothing," Seamus added, "Guys I told you not to get her started, she's passionate about her Irish blood."

"I'm not passionate about some ruddy Irish men that let the English ruin their soil for money, it's incredibly cheap and disgraceful," Sian told them.

"So she's passionate about Ireland," Fred said.

"Guys I'm right here, I know who you are talking about so you have no need to refer to me in third person, it's rather degrading, and if you say anything to enhance that comment I can promise you face damage," Sian grabbed a banana, apple, and a slice of buttered toast and left. She sat on the front steps listening to her CD player and eating her breakfast, she wasn't very hungry anymore.

She felt someone slide down next to her, it was Ron. "Don't you have friends?" She asked rather flustered, there were way too many redheads to keep track of.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "

Like your punk brainiac who chills with '80's fashion magazines, and your famous Harry Potter," Sian waved her hands to emphasize her point.

"Why would I want to hang with them?"

"Because you always do, and men are creatures of habit, now go away."

"I am not a creature of habit, though I am not denying my gender, I came to talk."

"Talk? Guys always have more on their minds than talk, especially when they confront girls alone on the cold, granite steps of their school."

"You're cold?"

"No, I'm just trying to prove my point."

"And your point is?"

"That men are persistent annoying creatures of habit."

"Are you doing a study on the behavior of the opposite sex?"

"Yes, I'm trying to find guys that hate people like me, they are far and few between. An example would be Hermione, only she's a girl, or at least that is what I have come to conclude, because I can hardly see what's underneath those layers of hair."

"Very funny," he told Sian.

"See this is exactly like most guys I find, they don't even bother to defend their friend, I am, in fact the reason some guy-girl relationships no longer exist. I say something to shut them down and they agree, it's stupid, do you have a mind of your own?" Sian waved a hand in front of Ron and got up, "I have a class." Sian got up and left him, stunned.

"That was interesting," he told himself.

She got to her class before anyone else and was able to learn about the teacher. When she first met him she vaguely remembered him from somewhere, it was her mom's old friend.

"Sian?" He asked.

"Yeah," she answered rather uncertainly.

"Wow, you haven't changed much since I saw you last, except you are oh, over a foot taller than you were before."

"Why thanks Ken."

"It's Professor MacAlan, remember."

"Oh yes, thanks Prof." He grinned and pulled up a chair as the rest of the class filed in. Seamus took his usual seat next to Sian and Hazel sat on her other side.

When the class was silent MacAlan started. "Alright kids, I've heard about past teachers and it seems a lot of you seem to favor Lupin and Moody. Lupin for his down-to-earth attitude and Moody for his over-all experience. I will tell you I have had loads of experience, though not as much or Dark as Moody, and you will find I am very much like Lupin, only not a werewolf," he grinned. "I am a strict teacher and will not stand any misbehavior among you, I do have the power to turn you all into ferrets, but that is only for the worst of you."

A lot of kids laughed, the most of them out of nervousness.

The professor laughed as well. "For our first lesson I have decided to study the Toros, a human male with a bull head. They are ferocious creatures that kidnap young girls. Please turn to page 276." The class continued in much the same manner, MacAlan was funny and unpredictable making jokes the whole class and Sian concluded he was a very good teacher indeed. Her next class Muggle Studies was even better though she had it with the whining, snobby, know-it-all Hermione. After they had taken their seats they were ushered to the Quidditch pitch where the lines on the green field greatly reminded her of...

"Known to the Americans as soccer, Muggles in the British Isles call it football...can anyone tell me about it?"


	9. Football, Classes, and a weight room?

Hermione's hand shot in the air, but was no match for Sian's.

"Yes? Sian?" He asked.

"Football is a game that consists entirely of foot skills. There are nine players, and a Keeper, the only one allowed to use his hands, he tends to a goal at one end of the 100 yard field, there are two goals, the goalie box where balls are kicked back into play after they have been kicked out by the opposing team. Outside of that is the penalty box, where all members must stay when they are kicking the ball back into play, anything illegal that happens within its boundaries results in a penalty kick, a direct kick at the goal. There are three defenders that stay with the Keeper at all times. Then there are the two halfbacks that throw in any balls kicked out of bounds. Then there are the three forwards whose main goal is to score."

"I do believe you've covered it all," the teacher smiled.

"Anything else? Strategy wise?" Sian asked, she had played soccer many times before, the Muggle-borns at her old school were allowed to play and she often joined them.

"That should be enough, thank you," the old man smiled. "Now, it is my turn to put you all into teams and place you all in positions." The professor counted them all off, Sian sighed relieved, Hermione was not on her team. "Sian, since you seem to know a bit about the game sort your team would you?"

Sian looked doubtfully at her team, "Alright, who is a wicked fast runner, bursts of speed, you know?"

Four unsure kids nervously raised their hands.

"Your jobs are a lot like the Chasers, you run fast and stay toward the opposite end of the field so the half backs can give you the ball to score," Sian told them.

They nodded.

"Now for the kids who don't get tired very often, long winded kids usually work."

Three of the kids laughed and raised their hands.

"You are the half backs, you run the length of the field for the most part, getting the ball from the defense to the forwards and helping defend the goal, it requires a lot of work."

They nodded.

"Now for the defense," Sian looked at the four remaining kids, "your job is to protect the goal at all costs, dive, jump whatever. None of you can touch the ball with your hands, none of you, the halfbacks, when the ball goes out on the sides of the field you throw it to the forwards, do not lift your foot. No obvious punching, pushing, or manhandling of any kind, especially not in the penalty box, because then they get a free kick at our goal." Sian continued with the rules and regulations as best as she remembered them.

Then she took her place between the pipes. Two of her kids sat on the bench. She was indeed a very good goalie, she didn't let a single one past her and her people managed two, she couldn't remember, it was the best class she'd had in a long while.

Sian's next class, Arithmancy was no match to Muggle Studies, after all, this time she had to sit next to know-it-all Hermione. Math had always been her good subject, she just didn't like Hermione. It wasn't any fun at all. The rest of the week was the same, boring, dull, and lots of Hermione. By Friday afternoon she was ready to bash her against one of the school's finely polished stone walls if she got the chance.

Draco didn't talk to her at all, he was probably still recovering from Hazel's beating.

At the end of the week they chose the extra players for Quidditch, in case anything bad was to happen. Sian chose Ryan and Drew for her back ups, they were better than the others. A week later real pre-season started. The Chasers were a hard bunch, and Sian was always trying to avoid getting clobbered by the Bludgers the twins sent at her. Hazel was a constant rival for the Snitch and Sian liked that, someone with worthy talent was playing against Harry.

Katie Bell, Angelina, and Alicia, the Chasers were a rough bunch. They would dive, fake, and even tackle Sian. Sian never complained, it was good exercise, she'd seen games, and they were a lot rougher than how these girls were treating her now, the opposing Chasers would not be as nice. She would have to toughen up. If only there was a weight room. But who was to say there wasn't one?

Saturday, a week before her birthday, and the first match of the season Sian asked Harry.

He looked at her for a moment before laughing.

"Is there one?"

He continued to laugh. Finally he simmered down and said, "Oh, yeah, the twins are always in there every day they get a chance, not that you could tell the difference or anything." He laughed again.

"Where is it?" She asked getting fed up.

"In the back of locker room there are some doors, if you open up any of them you'll come out into the weight room."

"Thanks." Sian went to locker room, changed into work out clothes and opened the specified door. Inside were items she had missed in the Wizard- friendly atmosphere. They had two treadmills, four exercise bikes, two rowing machines, four benches, and various other equipment. Sian stretched and took to the rower, it had always been her favorite. After twenty minutes of rowing went to the radio. She popped in one of her own CDs and stretched her arms. It was what she called "loud music", fast paced, angry, and easy to work out to. She went to a bench and used the leg- lifter. After five grueling sets of twenty she took her break and heard commotion behind on of the doors. The twins burst out one set of doors and three Slytherins appeared from another set. George and Fred didn't seem so surprised to see her there, they just smiled and carefully noted the looks on the faces of the Slytherins.

"How long you been here?" George asked her.

"Um, thirty-forty minutes," came a steady reply.

"What did you use?" Fred asked.

"The rower and the leg-lifter, what do you need?"

"The bench." The brothers gave each other secretive looks.

"Alright," Sian replied and clambered onto the stool to do some pull-ups.

She could feel the awed Slytherins watching her, so she did three sets of five before just hanging off the bar. She let go, this was not the work- out she needed. Lying on the mat, Sian did 100 sit-ups before telling the guys she'd see them later, they were still bench pressing-200 pounds!

Sian showered and changed back into normal clothes and headed out the door, and remembered-her CD! She jogged back to get it and nearly ran into the twins, they had her CD. "Thanks guys."

They smiled quaintly and returned to the bench. Back in the Common Room, listening to her "loud music" Sian tried to focus on her homework, she found it next to impossible. Hazel noted her friend's difficulty and came to the rescue.

"What's up?" Hazel asked.

Sian raised the homework above her head and let it flutter everywhere. "My homework."

Hazel laughed, "No motivation?"

Sian blinked weary-eyed, "No, none what-so-ever."

"I'd give you the answers but they'd probably be wrong."

It was Sian's turn to laugh, "There's always tomorrow."

"Right, what are you up for? No running I hope?"

"No, I want to do something Muggle-ish."

"Graffiti? Egging? Toilet-papering?"

"Something less destructive."

"I don't know."

"What about a good old game of hurling?" BJ suggested.

"Thirty players and sticks?" Hermione interrupted, "Be reasonable."

"It was only a suggestion." BJ retorted.

Hermione wanted to tell Sian to do her homework, the girl was outrageous, it was a wonder where she got all that knowledge, she went to bed before ever doing her homework, but woke up every morning with it done, she probably copied off of Hazel, or maybe Alicia. It didn't matter. What bugged her most was that she seemed to know what she was talking about when it came to answering questions, Hermione smiled cruelly to herself, she'd find out soon enough.


	10. Ah, more football, and some aerial tag

They decided on a game of football, the girls wanted to play rugby but BJ told them they'd gotten in trouble for playing "such a mean Muggle game." They had to find people who knew what they were doing.

"Herm," Ron suggested while they were looking for teams, "you know how to play, why don't you?"

Hermione looked at the small group that they had assembled and sneered, "I've got homework to do."

"Oh," Harry laughed, "I'm going."

"Harry," Hermione reprimanded, "You've homework to do as well."

"Yeah, so do they, you coming Ron?" Ron turned a shade of crimson, rivaling his hair, "I don't know how to play."

"Not a problem," Angelina joined in, "we'll teach you." With that in mind other people swiftly joined the group.

"Urgh," Sian complained, "Do we really have to take the preps?"

"You mean the non-Muggle-borns?" Hazel asked confused.

"Yeah." BJ added.

"We'll give 'em five minutes tops," Angelina laughed at the fifth and sixth years faces. "The only rule to obey is 'no hands'."

Sian and BJ led the group of twelve down to the Quidditch pitch still lined with soccer boundaries. The field also had the goals. "How many of you are Muggle-born?" Sian asked. Only eight. "Haze, got the ball?" She threw it to Sian. "Alright, this is the ball, none of you are allowed to touch this with your hands got it?"

The four wizards nodded.

"There are only twelve of us, not nearly enough to make a team so we will play with three forwards and two backs, and one Keeper. Only the Keeper is allowed to touch the ball with his hands, but only in the Penalty box, allow me to demonstrate." Sian showed them the Penalty box and the goalie box and the importance of each. She finished just as the twins emerged.

"What are you all doing?" George asked.

"Playing football," Sian called out, "Care to join?"

"Sure," they agreed. "Line up."

On the line Sian and BJ became captains, BJ took the twins and explained the rules. Sian took Hazel and Alicia. BJ took Harry. Sian took Ron. BJ took Angelina. Sian took Dean. BJ took Lee. Sian took Seamus. BJ took Katie. Sian took Ginny. Sian got the low-down on her people. Hazel and Alicia were automatically forwards, they needed a third so they added Dean. Ginny, Ron, and Seamus were made fullbacks, and Seamus volunteered to be the assistant halfback. Sian's team was finished organizing well before BJ's.

They were all set up and BJ gave the go ahead. BJ's team started out with the ball, because they had more wizards and were not as experienced. Angelina passed the ball to BJ who passed it across to Katie, on the far side. Hazel however, intercepted and passed the ball up to Alicia. Alicia then passed it up to Dean who was out on the right wing. George met him and tripped him, stealing the ball, and passed it up to Harry. Harry wanted to be rid of the ball so he nailed it over centerfield, up to Seamus, who passed it up to Alicia. Hazel and Alicia occupied Fred and George, and passed the ball to Dean who scored on the unprepared Lee.

Alicia had the ball at centerfield and crossed it to Hazel, who passed it back to Seamus, who, in turn, knocked it up back up to Alicia, who was fighting with Harry. Dean headed the ball, tripped Fred, and Hazel caught the rebound and George's arm. She trashed George and made a shot on goal. It hit a post and came flying at Alicia, who tried to head it back in. It hit off Lee's out stretched hands and Seamus tried a go at it. It got kicked out of bounds and Harry had to throw it in. Dean headed it at BJ , where Alicia recovered it and Angelina knocked her off her feet. Hazel stole the ball from her and passed it back to Ron and he kicked it to a waiting Sian. Sian cleared the ball to half field and watched them go at it.

They were quite even matched and the wizard team proved to be very good, Sian's team only beat them by one point. They played until lunch and all the Gryffindors had a great time. They talked a lot and had loads of fun.

Afterwards Harry challenged Sian to a game of aerial tag. Mass amounts of people played. Meaning everyone on the Quidditch team. Because Harry suggested the game, it was only fair that he should be "it". He first tagged Katie before she even kicked off. Then Katie snuck up on the twins and tagged Fred, who ended up tagging George. Everyone was chased fruitfully until everybody but Sian had been "it" at least once. That was when the twins and Harry had a small huddle and chased Sian all over the Quidditch pitch. Even the Chasers got in on the action and soon everyone playing was trying to catch Sian. She evaded them all. She dove outside the pitch and pulled a Wronski Feint, causing many of her opponents to fall in the dust. Soon all that were remaining were Harry and the twins.

Sian dove and hurdled every obstacle inside the arena but simply could not shake the boys. She was riding the Lupus, her favorite broom ever, when she got an idea, the boys were flying in a V-pattern, she could fly between the twins and under Harry. Pulling the strangest U-turn, she turned quicker than the boys could tell and shot towards them at all 200mph. Harry was startled and did not which way to turn. He was so unsure that turbulence got the best of him and he clipped the tail of Sian's broom. She spun out and skidded to a stop at the player's entrance, getting bucked off from the force that hit the wall.


	11. A visit to the infirmary, and, oh dear, ...

Opening her eyes slightly Sian saw shadows on the wall, and knew immediately they were Slytherins, they were always around. "Broom get away from you did it?" asked the black haired kid Sian knew to be Matthew Flint, Marcus's little brother.

"Gents, this is why girls shouldn't ride brooms."

Draco moved forward to check things out.

"Dude, get away from me," she said and struggled to get up, she'd clocked her head pretty good on the stone wall. "And you," she said turning to Matthew, "You better watch your back."

George and Fred rushed in, followed by Harry. "Sian, you okay?" They asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told them with a grin. "Just knocked my head on one of these here walls. That was a great chase you guys put up, it was great fun."

Malfoy eyed the boys with distaste as they aided Sian to their own locker room. In the shower Sian slumped against the wall and nearly fell asleep, boy was she tired.

A loud pounding suddenly disturbed her, "Hey Sian, don't you know when you have a concussion you shouldn't fall asleep."

"So that's what they call this abnormal pain in my head?" Sian replied with a tired laugh.

"Hurry up and get dressed so I can run you down to Madame Pomfrey's." Sian didn't protest but did not feel like being sent to the infirmary. Taking her time, Sian bathed and dried herself, rather unsteadily.

Hazel was waiting patiently. She knew Sian was tough, but not even the toughest people she knew had recovered from a crash at 200 miles per hour unscathed. Hazel supported her as Sian stumbled up the steps.

Madame Pomfrey met them at the door and showed Sian a bed. "I am not staying here, just give me some pills or potion, and I'll be on my way."

Madame Pomfrey grinned, "I think not, you will stay here until I think you are suitable."

"Oh great," Sian groaned.

Madame Pomfrey left for a moment and returned with a potion. Sian drank it unwillingly, it smelled like leather and she didn't think it tasted any better. Almost instantaneously the potion began to work, Sian head did not hurt as much, and the bump coming up on the side of her head was beginning to disappear. Sian was less groggy and more wide-awake than she was before.

"Tell me when you feel like yourself again," Madame Pomfrey said and walked away, she still had other patients to attend too.

Barely stepping out of the room, Sian propelled herself off of the bed and grinned like a drunk, "I'm good, ma'am, that stuff works wonders, what is it?"

"Coffee," replied the older woman with a grin. Sian caught up with Hazel and the two of them arrived to dinner, only slightly late.

George pushed people off the bench so that they could sit down, "Hey Sian we're really sorry bout that..."

Sian grinned, "Guys don't sweat it, I was the one trucking it passed you guys, it was only fair that Harry clipped me."

"Right," Hermione agreed.

Hazel shook her head and the girls moved down the table to the other side of Seamus.

"She really doesn't like me, does she?" Sian asked.

"No," Hazel replied with humor.

"Good." Sian paused to grin at Seamus and glance at Hermione, "She's just a stupid, know-it-all, goody-goody, who doesn't know a thing about anything."

Hazel laughed out loud, a very cheerful and contagious laugh and though Sian felt she had said something very serious found herself chuckling as well. "You realize that was the biggest oxymoron in the history of the world," Hazel said when the laughter had subsided.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter if it's all true," Sian countered.

Hazel shook her head and they were soon done their meal, and went back to the common room.

Sian got right down to her homework, she could now focus on the work and it seemed much easier than it had been before. She was done long before Hermione came back and was in bed as well so she would not have to listen to Hermione complain.

Weeks passed by, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team looked very good in the air, and they were. The Chasers were incredible because they needed new ways to beat Sian who proved to be a very skilled Keeper, Harry had always been awesome, and even the Beaters were trying to do their best. Sian was doing very well in school and had even better grades than Hermione, causing her to try harder. It was finally, the last week in October, and the first game of the season, the traditional game of Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Sian had to admit she was rather nervous, but all the Chasers had faith in her, and the Beaters, and even Harry.

"Come on," Harry pestered as they changed into their team uniforms, "You totally wasted me on my broom and I've got the fastest broom in the entire school, and you've got the skill to school any Chaser that tries a shot at you."

"Yeah," the rest of the team replied in unison.

"The only thing I was worried about was the storm," Sian said.

"What storm?" Hazel asked, just as sudden downpour drenched the world outside.

"That one," Fred replied with a grin.

Suited up and ready to go, the Gryffindor team walked out onto the field. In the ten minutes they had taken to change up the wind had picked up extremely and raining was falling in buckets.

"This'll be the best game you'll ever play," George told her with a grin as they stepped up to greet Madame Hooch and the Slytherins.

Harry and Draco shook hands for the sake of the game and the team took their positions. Madame Hooch released all the balls and Sian watched keenly from her post in front of the three goals to see who had the Quaffle and if they were coming in her direction. A flash of green alerted her and she zoomed out for a second and saw someone throwing a ball just above her head. Catching it, Sian hurled it to Katie who was waiting just above them. She was left to herself for a long while and paid no mind to much of anything. Harry passed her by a few times and Draco was sure to follow.

"Sian!" Yelled the voice of a twin and Sian dove down to avoid a Bludger shooting for her head.

Fred had her back and knocked the Bludger back the way it came. She barely saw them , the green cloaks as they flew towards her, five of them.

Shooting back up to the goal hoops, Sian looked to see who had the Quaffle, but she could not see. Then she saw one of the five by the hoop to her left, but he had a bat. Suddenly, the kid in the back of the line got clocked in the back by a Bludger and the Quaffle dropped from his hands. Sian dove down to catch it and saw George grin and nod.

Sian threw the ball with all her might and hoped someone from her team would catch it. The Slytherins retreated and the stands roared, with boos from the Slytherin fans. The wind grew stronger, pelting the large drops of rain at her back. Turning quickly she saw what looked to be a little round ball of gold.

"Harry!" She yelled. In under a second Harry appeared before her and she pointed at the Snitch just before it disappeared. Harry chased after it and Draco appeared where he had been.

Draco flew after Harry and they got in a rather large fight, Sian could see it from her goals. Harry had the Snitch and Draco was trying to chase after him, but he hit Harry's broom tail and spun out like Sian had done weeks earlier, only Draco fell from at least 100 meters up. The broom was swept away instantly and Draco fell much like a parachuter might. With the game officially over Sian did not need to guard the goal and dove to catch Draco, if he was to land where she thought he might, it would be across a 4x4 plank, and it would not feel to good. So she snatched him out of the air and set him down on the plank and flew over to congratulate Harry on his win.

"Harry that was great!" She told him as she flew down and dismounted like someone might on a bike.

"Well I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't pointed it out, it was impossible to see up there," Harry replied.

To the twins she nodded, "Thanks for having my back."

They both grinned mischievously.

Ron, Hermione, Hazel, and BJ ran onto the pitch and Sian looked at them expectantly. BJ had a broad grin on his face when he told the team, "When Draco fell his broom got blown away, want to guess where it landed?"

"The Whomping Willow?" Harry guessed, the same fate had been done on his Nimbus 2000.

BJ nodded, and in the wind and rain, all the Gryffindors present threw their heads back and laughed, even Hermione and Sian. No one was laughing the next day when the Gryffindors walked in on the Slytherin practice. Sian identified the ash handle right off, but the tail of the broom looked remotely familiar. Draco flew down and organized his team.


	12. Sian makes a contract, and goes on a dat...

"Hey," Sian called to Draco, "We booked this field time, so scram."

He looked up and the team followed him as he walked over to the Gryffindors. "What, can you kids not keep a captain?" He asked his voice as cold as ice. "First it was Potter, then every now and then it's a Weasley, and now it's a girl, hmph."

The rest of his teammates laughed in agreement.

He showed off his broom, and Sian read the gold lettering below his hand Firebolt II. The tail of the broom looked familiar, the sight of it etched into the back of her mind.

"Can I have a word?" Sian asked.

Draco looked at her puzzled, and held back from a sarcastic comment, had his time finally come?

"Just so you know, Malfoy," She spat, "You should treat me and my teammates with at least some respect, seeing as I'm the one who made sure you didn't break your back and die on that plank last night, so give a little credit where it's due, and keep in mind that you owe me kid, now get you and your punks out of here."

Draco nodded and led his guys. He had wondered who had dropped him on the plank, he knew that none of the Slytherins would have done, and at the time he couldn't think of a Gryffindor that had been in the vicinity at the time of his fall. It was quite plausible that she could have caught him, he could not see who had, and the she was the Keeper, right where he had fallen.

After practice in the Common Room all the Quidditch players tried to understand what Sian was telling them. Draco Malfoy had a Firebolt II, no one could believe it. They were all talking amongst themselves when Sian broke away from the group and found her broom making book. She had not yet received a present from her father, and now would be a good time to get the materials. No one else had a Firebolt II, nobody was sure if they were on the market yet. As Sian rummaged in her room she knocked over the Corvus Speed Demon. The tail, she noted was the same as the new Firebolt, and the handle was ash, also like the Firebolt.

Running down the steps Sian threw the broom for Harry to inspect and looked up the properties of Willow.

"So is this the same thing as the Firebolt II?" George asked.

"Yeah," Sian told him.

"So what are we so stressed about?" Fred asked.

"If the brooms are made differently, they fly differently," Harry added.

"Yeah, and we don't know how they make Firebolts," Sian said, "Mine's hand-crafted, and they say that's how they make their brooms, but I could have a different length of a handle or more willow in the tail. Willow does a lot for speed in these brooms, because the twigs are very fluid."

"So what do we do until the next game, we don't know how that broom works." Some one added.

Harry and Hermione talked to each other in controlled whispers and Harry pulled back disgusted, but Hermione continued talking. Finally she was done and Harry addressed the team. "Alright guys, I'm sure you've got other stuff to do. Me and Sian will think on this and let you know when we think of something halfway decent."

Everyone dispersed except for Sian. "What?" She asked.

"I've had an idea.."

"And I don't think I like it," she interrupted.

"Just hear me out," he pleaded.

"Hearing," Sian said and put a hand to her ear.

"Alright, we all know Draco likes you-"

That was as far as he got before she stormed out on him. She knew something was odd about this plan, Harry wouldn't be the person to think of a plan like this, only a girl would do this and there was only one girl Sian could think of that hated her enough to plot this scheme. Harry ran out of the porthole after her.

"Harry, I know damn well you didn't think of this plan all by yourself, and I'm not going to let Hermione in on the satisfaction that I'm doing it for the sake of the team, you know as well as I this is the proper way to get back at me for what ever I've done to her, though I am a little lost as to what that might be. But I am not going to let that little bitch get away with this."

"Calm down Sian. And just listen to me for God's sake. I know what you're thinking and that's what I thought at first, that she was just jealous and that it would be a way to humble you or what ever, but just hear me out. Just lead the kid on until our next game, that way you can break his heart, and throw it in the dirt, or whatever, and he'll play like shit. Can you handle that?"

"I'm going to think about it, but I've got to ask you a question, what if some of the folks on our team got jealous, can I then have the permission to beat the living shit out of your 80's wannabe?"

"I'll have to think about that as well," Harry said with a grin, "but I'm sure the guys would understand."

"I want that in writing."

"Seriously?"

"Dead Serious."

They went back inside and Harry gave to Sian a sheet of paper that read:

_I, Harry Potter tell Sian MacDonal that her dating Draco will not upset and provoke the players on the team for any reason, because they should understand what we are trying to do. And if they do not, Sian is allowed to beat one Hermione Granger to a bloody pulp. Signed, Harry Potter_

The last bit Sian added, but Harry only signed it he did not read it.

"Do I have to find this ruddy miser right now?" Sian asked with hope that she might not.

"Only if you want to," Harry replied.

Sian had no intention to do so, but Harry started to leave so she grabbed a handful of cloak and held him close. "If you breathe a word of this deal to anyone, on the team or not friend or foe, Hermione or Ron, I will beat you to a bloody pulp, you got it?"

Harry nodded and she let him go and went to sit in her room, taking back her broom and book.

Hazel knew something was up so she went to find her friend. "What's up?" Hazel asked Sian.

"I just made a deal with the devil," Sian replied somberly.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Tell me about it."

"I'm not sure if I want to I haven't got the full shock of it yet."

"Well I thought of a nice plan too, do you want to hear it?"

"Sure."

"Well, your dad is the president of the ABC, and he has been giving you broom stuff for the past couple years, and you are over due on your birthday, so I was thinking, maybe you could get a Firebolt from your dad because he makes them and when it arrives, test it out, and then we'd know whose broom was better."

"That's a great idea!" Sian wrote her dad a letter and, taking the Columba with her ran to the Owlery, Hazel not far behind.

After setting Rory off Hazel asked Sian, "What are you going to do with that?"

Sian knew she meant the broom, "Well my dad is not very good at responding to letters, so I'm going to run into a wall with this broom because it's the fastest and the pain will be less."

"Why?" Hazel asked.

"I want to put off what I have been conned into doing for as long as possible."

"What exactly is it…" Sian told her in the safety of the Quidditch pitch and Hazel whistled, "Boy that is low."

"You're telling me," Sian snorted with disgust. "I'm sure I might not care as much, if there were other circumstances, because I hate Draco almost as much as I hate Hermione. I just don't like the idea of it because it was suggested by my nemesis, and that I may be falling for a guy."

"No," Hazel gasped in awe.

"Oh, shut it, but the thing is that I'm pretty sure that he likes me back, and I don't think he would like it if I were to do this."

Eventually Hazel talked Sian out of giving herself another concussion and they fell asleep in the stands of the pitch.

Sian woke up the next morning to voices getting progressively louder. What was worse was that they were male voices. She rolled over and remembered that she was still in the stands. Trying not to move at all, Sian tried to see who was on the ground. To her dismay she saw it was the Slytherin Quidditch team. Watching the team she crawled into a decent position, just as they took to the air. As she watched them play she admitted to herself they weren't all that good, sure they checked people and threw them off their brooms, but other than that, they had very little skill. The practice was over and Sian caught a glimpse of the Snitch just as it dove into the stands in front of her, and did her best to duck. All of the Slytherins had gone into the showers except for Draco who was still after the Snitch.

"Hey what've we here?" He asked spotting Sian.

She crouched down lower, and then decided better of it. "Hey Malfoy," she said trying to withhold the vinegar as she got up, and attempting to cover her still sleeping friend.

"What are you up to?" He asked rather curiously.

"I fell asleep here last night, me and that bitch, Hermione got in a fight, but none of the guys would let me hit her, they were afraid I might kill her so I got kicked out."

"You know what," Draco said catching the Snitch with a sleight of hand and dismounting, coming closer to Sian, "I wonder how the hell you managed to get into Gryffindor in the first place, you've got a few more Slytherin tendencies."

"Yeah," Sian agreed, "Hey, what are you doing later?"

Draco seemed rather taken back. "Me?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Don't know, what would you like to do?"

"We could go hang out in the Forbidden Forest I haven't been there yet, and I was told it's fun."

"Sure, when do you want to go?"

"During lunch, we could have a picnic."

Draco left and Sian couldn't believe she had just made a date with a guy she absolutely hated.

"It went well?" Hazel asked. Sian kicked her friend lightly as she got up and the two of them ran to breakfast.

Concerned friends like BJ and the twins asked them where they had been and Sian responded that they had been spying, and the Firebolt II was incredible.

After breakfast Sian went to sleep and slept until lunch. She was going to need her rest if she was supposed to put up with Draco for awhile.

They met just beyond the Forbidden Forest on a side of the school were there were no windows. Draco had the food and the two of them slipped unseen into the Forest.


	13. The Date from Hell

***A/N: thanks MissLKid for your devout reviews, I love you chicky! And I don't own any of the characters that you know form the book or the movie, making Sian, her mom, BJ, Hazel, Mrs. Finnigan, and random Slytherins, my own. Just thought you wanted to know.***  
  
They walked for awhile in silence and were just out of the sunlight under a huge old tree that probably only lives in the Forbidden Forest when Sian decided that was the place to stop. The tree was homey looking with grey bark and willow-like branches. Its exposed roots cover the ground before it and behind. The roots are hidden by a small rise. Sian seats herself in the roots with her back to the tree and lets Draco set up the picnic, he was the one to bring the food after all. He pulls out two sandwiches loaded with meat cheese and veggies (what else would you expect), a small bowl of veggie soup, some bread, and a pot of tea. "I didn't know what you wanted, I hope you aren't a veggie."  
  
Sian had to resist the urge to laugh, "No vegetarian here," but, it's kinda inconsiderate, what if I was a veggie?  
  
Draco began to use that slick voice Sian hated, "So what got you on to brooms?" He asked.  
  
"Onto them, or into them?" She asked with a small grin.  
  
"Both."  
  
"Well, my dad is the ABC, so that was a-small part I would say."  
  
"Yeah, well--"  
  
"Brooms are cool shit," Sian said flat out, "I want to build them when I get older. There's nothing a guy can do that a girl can't, and that's why."  
  
"Why do you play Quidditch then, it is a dangerous sport."  
  
"So, I laugh in the face of danger, muahahaha." Sian tried her best evil laugh. "I like a challenge," she decided after carefully choosing her words so as to not sound so feminist. "I get out there and do what I know I can."  
  
Draco coughed, apparently the conversation is not going as expected, "Have you made any brooms yet?" He asked carefully.  
  
Sian thinks about this, "Yeah I've made a few," she replied, "what's it to you?"  
  
"Nothing, I was just asking." Draco paused, handing Sian the sandwich, "Are they any good?"  
  
"Yeah actually. My mom made me leave them at home though, she didn't want anyone to steal them."  
  
"My dad would make me bring them, show them off," Draco said with a grin.  
  
"My dad would try to buy them off me."  
  
"They're that good?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"So what do you like to do for fun?"  
  
"Get in fights, play sports, bitch at Hermione."  
  
"I would like to get in a fight with that Mudblood," Draco growled. "Only her little friends are always protecting her."  
  
Something about that just didn't settle right with Sian, she had a special bond with Muggle borns she wasn't sure why. But she did know, it was uncalled for for a guy to say openly that he wanted to beat up a girl. Instead of an outlash that would have ended in someone getting hurt like Sian feminist side wanted, Sian got up, took her sandwich and headed deeper into the Forbidden Forest. Soon there was no sunlight to be had and Draco's calls for apologies could no longer be heard, it was like the forest was growing up around her.  
  
After awhile of angry walking Sian's rational side caught hold and she soon realized she had no idea was she was, where she was going, and how she could get out. She turned a cautious 90 degree turn in hopes that she could avoid Draco in all ways possible and just get out of the forest, unfortunately the forest got the upper hand and Sian could agree she was thoroughly lost. Not long after her brilliant realization, she heard a padding of feet behind her, turned to see the owner of the feet and got hit so hard instead of seeing black she saw white.  
  
***A/N: oh no! What's going to happen next? I don't know, but read and review and I decide to write the next chap quicker.*** 


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